Seniors with dementia experience a variety of different changes to their daily lives. One that can be surprising is appetite decline. This change in appetite combined with cognitive changes sometimes means that seniors with dementia don’t get the nutrients they need to stay as healthy as possible. Alzheimer’s care providers can offer support with nutrition, helping seniors with dementia to cope with the changes they experience.
Why Does Appetite Change in Dementia?
Seniors with dementia may forget all about eating, which might sound impossible to some people. But hunger and thirst cues may not work the same as they did before dementia developed. Too many choices can be confusing as well, or seniors may believe they already ate. Other sensory changes, like reduced senses of smell or taste, may make eating less appealing. Understanding what is causing the appetite decline can help families to figure out a solution that works.
Establishing Meal Routines
Alzheimer’s care providers can help seniors with dementia to establish meal routines that are consistent. Predictable mealtimes help seniors’ bodies become accustomed to eating at specific times. This can help to reduce memory issues that keep seniors from eating. Home care providers can also help seniors to use tools that keep track of whether they’ve eaten or not, like marking a calendar in a specific way.
Offering Nutrient-dense Meals
Lack of nutrition is the biggest problem for seniors who have trouble with their appetites. Instead of encouraging them to eat full meals, smaller meals that are high in nutritional content can be a better option. Well-balanced meals or even snacks can get more calories and nutrition into seniors with dementia. Alzheimer’s care providers can help families prepare meals that are balanced and meet other health needs seniors might have.
Offering Sensory Appeal
Sometimes seniors with dementia aren’t interested in eating because the experience of eating isn’t enticing at all. Finding ways to make meals and food more appealing to the senses might be easier than expected. Making meals a social event is a good start. It can also help to make eating more comfortable, like offering finger foods that seniors don’t have to use utensils to eat. Reducing distractions makes meals less confusing as well, especially when dementia progresses.
Monitoring Changes
Dementia can cause all sorts of changes that might seem to crop up overnight. Experienced Alzheimer’s care providers can help families to spot changes in perception or in ability, like seniors having more trouble chewing and swallowing, that might even make eating more dangerous for aging adults. The sooner that families can find solutions for those issues, the less likely they are to interfere with meal routines and nutritional intake.
Alzheimer’s care providers offer support with all sorts of issues that create challenges for seniors with dementia. As dementia progresses, seniors experience more trouble with cognitive functioning, moods, and overall quality of life. Experienced Alzheimer’s caregivers can help families weather these changes and keep seniors as healthy and happy as possible while they age in place.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Alzheimer’s care in Needham, MA, please contact the caring staff at PlatinumCare+ today. Call (617) 237-0867.
PlatinumCare + was born out of the desire and passion to provide the very best home health care possible in Brookline, Dover, Newton, Needham, Watertown, Weston, Cambridge, Lincoln, Sudbury, Belmont, Boston MA, and surrounding areas.
All with decades of experience, Tim in IT Operations, Support, and Management, Brenda in Client Relations, Healthcare Services & Sales Management, and Anne in Healthcare as a Nurse Practitioner combined their skills to form what is now PlatinumCare +.
As immigrants to the US, all came from backgrounds where Healthcare for aging parents was a responsibility of the immediate family and the entire community. Aging, sick, or terminal community members were cared for physically, emotionally, and financially by family, friends, including strangers! This community approach, Healthcare with a difference, delivered with the utmost love, care, sacrifice, and passion, forms the basis of how PlatinumCare + grounds itself.
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